Greenwood’s Bountiful Boxwood

The personal sensibilities of Peter J. Blanchard Jr. and his wife, Dr. Adelaide Childs Frick Blanchard, profoundly shaped the transformation of the gardens at Greenwood. Between the Blanchards’ acquisition of the property in 1949 and the mid-1950s, the couple began reimagining the 1920s Day period gardens. Drawing inspiration from the grand formal gardens of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century France, the Blanchards packed their estate with lush greenery and extensive plantings of boxwood hedges, balancing the vibrant, labor-intensive flower gardens with the period structures that comprised the original landscape.

Following Adelaide’s death in 1956, Peter devoted himself wholly to transforming the gardens, enhancing the existing layout while expanding it beyond the original design scope. His vision began at the South Axis, where a grand avenue lined with miles of boxwood hedges in a double row took shape. Starting from the upper terrace, this boxwood-lined path stretched all the way down to the Garden of the Gods, encircling the terraces in a meticulously trimmed, geometrical formation. From an aerial perspective, the boxwood hedges formed a striking Maltese Cross pattern, reflecting Peter’s dedication to structured beauty and grandeur.

By the 1960s, the boxwood plantings had matured significantly. To rejuvenate the areas around the Cascade, Peter cleared overgrown sections and introduced new shrubs, including lilacs and magnolias, that complemented boxwood-clad slopes. Along the embankment between the inner edges of the aggregate concrete walkway and South Axis gardens, as well as the lower slope between these gardens and the service drive, he interspersed boxwood and yew with ornamental trees, creating layers of verdant texture.

Peter’s dedication to boxwood hedging extended to the former water garden and the terrace at the foot of the Teahouse, where he planted additional rows along the embankment. .

The Blanchards’ legacy, marked by sweeping boxwood allées and lush terraces, reflects an unwavering commitment to European-inspired formalism. Their efforts established a dramatic architectural framework for the landscape, bringing timeless elegance to the estate and making their garden design a defining feature of Greenwood’s enduring charm.